Wrestling heats up for local event this weekend

The Popeye Wrestling Club took 24 wrestlers to the Anchorage Freestyle Wrestling Club’s two-day event last weekend.

This weekend they are the hosts, with as many as 400 wrestlers representing 20 different teams from around the state heading to the Alice Witte Gym at Homer High School.

The Anchorage tournament on Friday featured a Greco-Roman Tournament that only allows wrestlers to attack from the waist up. Intermediate, 9-10, Lucas Barnard, 54 pounds, finished first by pinning Noah Romesburg of AFWC.

Also taking first was the brother and sister combo, Luciano Fasulo, schoolboy 108, and Jadzia Martin, cadet 103. Fasulo won three matches, including an 8-0 tech fall victory over Levi Farris of the Mat-Su Matmen. Farris had beaten Fasulo at the Tanana tournament earlier this season. Martin pinned Tyler Olsen from Nikiski with about a minute left in the match.

Second place finishes included Wayne Newman, schoolboy 93, who dominated Hayden Lieb of Bethel, who has beaten Newman in the past. Teddy Croft, schoolboy 131, was defeated for only the second time this year by Evan Bockman of Anchorage.

Open division wrestler Channing Grillo, 145, lost to former Alaska State Champion Jacob Lunsford of Anchorage. Jared Brant, cadet 124, won two matches in route to a third place finish. Ravi Cavasos, cadet 129, and Ian Stovall, schoolboy 84, also placed third.

On Saturday, Teddy Croft won all four of his matches to earn a first place in the Freestyle portion of the tournament. The team earned five second place finishes. Wayne Newman beat Kameron Maxie of Nikiski, 15-12. Maxie had beaten Newman at Boroughs a couple of weeks ago.

Fasulo won three matches very convincingly before dropping a 12-11 match to Jaidyn Biachi of Anchorage. Jadzia Martin lost to Tyler Olson of Nikiski 9-2, but won two other matches for her runner-up finish. Jaime Rios, cadet 129, had his break-out performance this season with a win over Joe Perkins of Anchorage. Perkins beat Rios the day before in Greco.

Channing Grillo again placed second, but also avenged his loss to Jacob Lunsford of Anchorage.